Horticulture Hotline 10/02/17
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
After smelling the wonderful Tea Olive the other day, I’m
not going to mention #$)^worm or Bro%n P@tch. Here are a few things to do while
enjoying the beautiful Lowcountry weather.
Did you put out a preemergent product to your lawn and beds
for winter annual weed control in August? If yes, depending on the product and
the rate you used, it is time to reapply. If no, now is the time to get it
spread onto your lawn and beds. Preemergent products control weeds as they
germinate making your life and your plants’ (including grass) life easier.
Winterizing trees and shrubs with either a few products
individually or as a multi prone approach will help insure the health of your
landscape investment.
A witch’s brew is a good fertilizer for trees and shrubs
this time of year. A fertilizer that mainly arborists use with special
equipment to inject into the ground can also be used by the avid “Do It
Yourselfer”. The DIY can apply “the brew” to the top of the ground and water it
in, or make it into a slurry in a bucket and pour the fertilizer around the
plant or tree. If you go with the slurry in a bucket method, you can always add
SuperThrive, BioRush, SeaHume, Fish / Seaweed blend, Vermaplex, Yucca … “The
Brew” will promote good root growth and fast spring green up without
stimulating soft growth that is susceptible to damage. A professional’s machine
will add some hydraulic aeration and other benefits. Just writing about this
product makes me want to get some out on my yard!
Root Excellerator, SeaHume (granular is best this time of
year, liquid still very good),
00-00-25, Cotton Burr Compost, Flowerbed Amendment,
SuperThrive, Fish / Seaweed Blend, 04-00-10, Possum’s Minors are a few products
that will benefit your lawn, trees and shrubs this winter. If you haven’t fed
your trees and shrubs in a while 17-00-09 might be appropriate. Like people, trees
and shrubs, like to have some nutrition, so they do not go to bed hungry.
For trees and shrubs you can get ahead of the insect battle
by using Neem oil or Horticulture oil. Neem oil has some fungicide benefits
also which is a bonus. If you have a tree or shrub with a history of scale,
twig borer, aphids, white flies …, apply a drench of Dominion now to protect
the new growth next spring.
Leaf spot diseases have been a big issue this summer with
all the rain. As the leaves fall, rake them up to remove overwintering fungus.
If you had any major problems, you might want to remove your old mulch, spray
with lime / sulfur, and replace the mulch with Cotton Burr Compost or Flowerbed
amendment.
Transplanting on you winter project list? Stay tuned.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
Bill Lamson-Scribner
can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply.
Possum’s has three locations 481
Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant
(971-9601), 3325 Business Circle
in North Charleston
(760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd,
in Charleston
(766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at
http://www.possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “ The
Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from noon to 1:00, on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is
available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com.
